ProBiolhttps://probiol.wordpress.com
Pursing a pro-biological lifestyleThu, 24 May 2018 19:39:46 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/9f4459765e7026812e94d18de7a59682?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngProBiolhttps://probiol.wordpress.com
Sourdough: The Conceptionhttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/a-sourdough-conception/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/a-sourdough-conception/#respondMon, 18 Jul 2016 09:51:06 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=582I remember visiting Paris, France when I was 13 – my first trip to Europe to visit my sister Gosia and her family in the Netherlands, and anywhere in Europe was as close as Wisconsin Dells was to Chicago. I was enamored with the city, the architecture, and the ambiance (not knowing the word back then). I was a slightly overweight American teen, already jumping from diet to diet. I was off bread at that time. I was also curiously observed that so many slender and pretty Parisian ladies were walking around with pastries in the morning, mainly with long baguettes. Bread, croissants, and other baked goods were abundant, I had to let go of the “diet.” For a long time I wondered why eating bread (ok not just bread, most other foods as well) in the U.S. made people overweight and unhealthy, but many Parisians ate bread daily and seemed not to suffer those effects. Looking at the ingredients in most “American” bread, and having the feeling that 20-30 ingredients shouldn’t be in the ingredients list. I know now that one of the main reasons was the age old fermentation process of sourdough bread and baked goods.

But for crying out loud, my grandparents and great-grandparents and ancestors in general were raised on and sustained with bread. Considering the raveges of wars and subsequent poor living conditions, malnutrition, and lack of hygiene, they were pretty healthy. Evidence now shows that grain has been used by certain populations for over 10,000 years +. Bread was equated with life, sanctity, and everything Slavic/Polish (as is so in many other heritages and cultures). The Bible is teeming with examples, parables, and discussion about grain and bread. From Weston A. Price’s Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, I remember the isolated Swiss valley with extremely healthy individuals that grew up and subsisted upon traditionally prepared rye bread and dairy. According to Dr. Price the Vatican Swiss guards were chosen from among these men for their fine figures and robust health. All this information was constantly striking a major chord of dissonance for me.

With beginning thyroid symptoms and rising autoantibodies, symptoms of IBS ( painful digestion and moreso) after eating most wheat/ conventional flour based foods, I was sure that the gluten free diet would work. I wasn’t for using the usual gluten free substitutes, since they were so high in the glycemic index and in many cases very artificial and/or processed (possibly more unhealthy than the gluten full versions). The flours I used were buckwheat, lentil (or other bean), millet, coconut, almond, sometimes rice, no corn ( due to the fact that so much corn is genetically modified with Bt toxin and already naturally seeping with lectins) and no soy (also due to the genetic modification factor). But the baking results using these flours, besides pies and crumbly cookies, were not too satisfactory.

After more digging ( and discovering that I am a foodie at heart), this article summed up the history of bread and baking in a decent nutshell – The rise and rise of sourdough bread. After watching Catalyst – Gluten: A Gut Feeling I felt even better about my return to grains and bread. Certain research also seemed promising. One case study showed that pediatric patients with celiac disease could consume wheat based products that were thoroughly soured/fermented without adverse effects. Another study demonstrated that fermented sourdough products can heal early stage intestinal damage and inflammation persons with celiac disease.

Encouraged, I started with the easiest no knead sourdough bread, made mostly with spelt or rye flour. Sorry, but after a few rounds, the results didn’t give the effect of the bread that I had eaten in Paris – the bread was too hard, not very palatable.

Giving up, as I was daunted by the whole idea of true sourdough, I sought out local bakers and found a local bread ( from Iwanisk) that delivered to the local health food store. It was 100% rye ( a grain with a higher nutritional value than conventional wheat), different from any other bread that I had eaten in Poland or anywhere else. Hearty, chewy, and most importantly unlike most other breads or baked goods bought ( I didn’t buy many artisan or sourdough breads in my student years), the bread hardened but never got moldy. Always delivered in its round boule form, always crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and very filling. The bread didn’t give the the symptoms previous baked goods did.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), for the past few weeks the bakery stopped delivering. My family and I were distraut since healthful sandwiches ( great travel fare) and breakfasts were limited. In my search I found this wonderful website with exacting details on how to prepare and even approach the idea of sourdough: www.theperfectloaf.com. I was enamoured with the author’s zest for all things sourdough and at ease since the instructions were systematic and explanatory – from the idea of using temperature as an ingredient, to exact amounts and times.

My first bake was a flop – I used spelt flour (I though it was wheat, my bad), too quickly overheated the first rise by putting it atop the oven. It was a start, a poor one at best. One hard loaf, edible, better than most common bakery fare, but not delectable.

For my dad’s name day ( July 15th, Henry) I decided to make the best homemade present – a proper, well prepared sourdough bread. In order to prevent lengthening this post more than needed, please refer you to the Perfect Loaf’s beginner’s sourdough page for terminology and specifics. I used the country sourdough recipe with less levain with a few tweaks. I did a 3 hour autolyse – mixing of just flour and water with no levain or salt to free sugars for the future fermentation, and to help build the dough in general. I did the bulk fermentation with minimal folding, since I mixed in some spelt flour in the mix ( now I know I overhydrated the dough). Shaping was a bit tricky, but I added a bit of flour to get it stiffer before the second proof. An overnight stay after the final proof and into the oven at 5 am on Friday.

The set of ingredients used first:

For the levain ( early Thursday afternoon)

Time: 5 hours

25 g mature starter

50 g white wheat flour

50 g spelt flour

80 g water at 29 C ( 84 F) – please note this was too much water still

At the 2 hour mark the autolyse was set, which included:

900 g white wheat flour

100 g spelt flour

700 g water at 29 C (84 F) – note that I should’ve used less water here too – about 650 g would be better

These were mixed in a bowl and left to sit under a plate. At the end of the 3 hour autolyse – 5 hour levain mark I mixed the levain with the autolyse. The final mixing also included 20 g of salt.

At that point I let it sit for about an hour to get a good rise out of it. Then I just lightly folded the dough four corners of the earth ( north-south-east-west) style every half hour, until it about doubled.

Then I dusted the wooden board (work surface) for the shaping phase – rolling the dough in circular fashion, preventing it from sticking to the board. I need to buy the proper scraper/bread-making knife, I used a thick sharp regular one but it was tricky – needs-must.

Then I finally shaped the dough into one piece and let it sit for over an hour. After than I took a basket, lined it with linen dusted with rice flour and plopped the dough in, and it was into the fridge for overnight.

The next morning at 4:30 I set the over for 250 C (the highest the over will go) and placed the dutch ovens inside to heat up for about 20 minutes. I took out the dough and started to shape ( good shaping video here). After I shaped I scored – or lightly cut the top of the bread to help release gases and makes it a unique loaf every time. In went the two pre-breads into the oven at 250 C (about 480 F) for 20 minutes, then 10 minutes at 230 C (450 F) and then the breads were uncovered and finished off after another 30 minutes at 230 C. The finished product were delivered to my dad, looking like this:

Don’t judge too harshly please – the crust was a little thick and not the prettiest, the crumb was a bit dense, but I mentioned that I deviated in a few ways. I hoping to make this a point in the learning curve. Tomorrow is a day off and I start again. Wish me luck – Cheers and good health!

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2016/07/18/a-sourdough-conception/feed/0probiolChleb zakwas bake 2Goodbye Thai Chicken Curryhttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/goodbye-thai-chicken-curry/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/goodbye-thai-chicken-curry/#respondTue, 24 Feb 2015 04:54:08 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=568Before leaving my wonderful Dutch family my brother-in-law Henny had a huge request: curry. As a young man he lived in India as an exchange worker for some time and grew to love this dish. Now I must admit that I did not eat or cook a great deal of Indian food even as a student, even though I had quite a few Indian and East Asian friends. Being Polish, and mingling with an eclectic group of ethnicities during my college years, my friends and I ate in a largely fused kitchen, mixing spices and elements from many cuisines. Many of us had a staple favorite though – a small Thai restaurant offshooting from our campus – serving great pad Thai, amazing bubble teas and a great coconut chicken curry.

1/2 pound (about 1/4 kilo) chicken – any part, I used deskinned legs and thighs that simmered in the chicken broth

3 potatoes – we used red skinned

2 medium onions

2 bell peppers – any color

3/4 pound (about 10 medium) carrots

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 can ( about 300 ml) coconut milk – if you have fresh coconut milk more power to you!

2 tablespoons curcumin powder

1 teaspoon basil ( I used dried, fresh is great too)

1 teaspoon cilantro – dried or fresh

salt to taste ( I used about 1 a teaspoon and a half, Himalayan)

pepper to taste ( about 1/2 teaspoon)

A large pan or wok

Total time: 50 minutes to 1 hour

Instructions:

To make this faster, I had already pre-cooked the chicken in broth. Cooking the potatoes in advance is also better. In any case, carrots and onions are diced into small pieces and fried in a dollop of coconut oil, onions first – until glossy, and then the carrots, also sliced and diced. I added a bit of salt with every vegetable to seal in every individual flavor. That takes about 15 minutes. Then add the washed and diced bell peppers, for another 5-7 minutes in the pan. Then in go the potatoes and chicken, along with the basil and cilantro. Let that heat for another few minutes.

The coconut milk goes in next, and a bit of simmering happens. Top that off with the curcumin ( or curry) powder and pepper, and let that simmer for another few minutes. Voila! A real feast all in the confines of one dish. Top with fresh basil or cilanto and serve. Cheers and good health!

all the vegetables looked glorious together the coconut milk that looked the most trustworthy at the local store

meal in a pan

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/goodbye-thai-chicken-curry/feed/0probiolcurry vegcoconut milkcurry finalFat Tuesday Pudding Cheesecakehttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/fat-tuesday-pudding-cheesecake/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/fat-tuesday-pudding-cheesecake/#respondThu, 19 Feb 2015 07:13:22 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=552So I’m visiting my Dutch family ( my sister Gosia is married to Henny, who is 100% Dutch, and has lived here for a long time) in the Netherlands – the country known for it’s tulips, windmills, massive scale bicyling. What I also noticed about the Dutch is that they know and love their cheese. Jonge kaas – young cheese, Belage kaas – aged cheese (gaining firmness and flavor with time), Geitenkaas (goat milk cheese), Maasdam, Edam, Rotterdam, Old Amsterdam – many of their cities have their specific cheese – and of course Gouda. With the ending of Carnival, what better way to celebrate Fat Tuesday than to make a rich cheesecake, and for easy fun a no bake version?

Looking at recipes, I saw that a lot of them used cream cheese, and using my google translate I found out that the Dutch counterpart is roomkaas. The crust was made with cookie crumbs and grass-fed butter, since it is one of the healthiest fats around. Grasboter, as grass-fed butter is called in the Netherlands, is full of important fat soluable vitamins like Vitamin A (butter is best source) and Vitamin E, necessary for good eye (Vit. A), as well as endocrine (thyroid gland) health. Both also help with the immune system, making us more resistant to infections, toxins, and diseases in general. Butter lowers the risk of heart disease, as a new study at the University of Cambridge shows, circulating fatty acids from dairy reduced heart disease risk.

Margarine and other synthetically produced fats, which are high in omega-6 fatty acids, do the opposite by slowing the thyroid, and causing inflammation. Cancer risk increases with intake of margarine and other polyunsaturated fats, as well as obesity, and heart disease. Even infertility is linked to these fats, so why not just use the butter instead?

Well we did. This ultra-rich dessert is only for special occasions, and should be eaten in moderation:

Strawberries, another fruit, coconut flakes or chocolate for decorations, I used about 150 g strawberries – not in season, but my niece Maaike really wanted them

A pie pan

Instructions:

Make the 1/2 package of pudding, and set aside to cool for a bit.

Mash the graham cracker or cookies ( best to get gluten free and without trans fats). Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter and mix together and set aside.

Next get the cream cheese, add sugar and whisk together in order to mix in the cooled pudding.

Spread the buttered cookie or graham cracker mixture in a pie pan, spreading it evenly.

Then fill the pie crust with the cheese and pudding mixture, put in the fridge or a cool place to set for at least 1 hour. Then decorate with desired fruit or topping and serve. Yum!

photos courtsey of my sister Gosia

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/fat-tuesday-pudding-cheesecake/feed/0probiolRaw Apple Chutneyhttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/raw-apple-chutney/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/raw-apple-chutney/#respondFri, 12 Sep 2014 11:41:21 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=548So after the LONG hiatus ( my dad broke a spinal vertebra so it was a busy summer, thankfully he’s out of his brace and walking with one crutch) the food dissection is back. With an easy, probiotic-rich recipe made for late summer/early fall.

Apples are coming in season, and to get on with annoying our favorite Dic-Tator, apple chutney is in order.

2-3 tablespoons cane sugar ( depending on the sweetness of the apples)

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup raisins ( optional)

Utensils:

Large bowl and spoon

Lemon rind zester/peeler

2 quart or 3 1/2 liter jars

Place apples in a large bowl and mix with spices, cinnamon and sugar. Then add the salt ( the apples will start to let their juices out). Mix the zest and lemon juice and add the whey. Pack tightly into jars so that the juices cover the chutney on tope. Let it set from 1-2 days in a room tempertatre spot, and taste to serve. Delicious yogurt or kefir, pancake or waffle topping, nd a great side dish to meat, fish and vegetable meals. Cheers and good health!

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/raw-apple-chutney/feed/0probiolapple chutneyMarzipan coconut delightshttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/marzipan-coconut-delights/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/marzipan-coconut-delights/#respondThu, 08 May 2014 11:48:59 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=74Yesterday was my parent’s anniversary, and besides the bought presents I wanted to make a special treat. Not having a tone of time and ingredients, I scoured my panty and happily found leftover marzipan (sweetened almond) paste from Easter. A light bulb came on – bake free easy treat!

In a bowl, mix the paste and cacao ( or the almond paste, honey and cacao) until there is a marbling. Pinch off about 1.5 cm (half inch) pieces and roll them into spheres. Cover each sphere evenly with coconut flakes. Serve or store in a cool place to firm.

Cheers and good health!

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/05/08/marzipan-coconut-delights/feed/0probiol2014-05-06 21.02.15 (1)Dandelionhttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/dandelion/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/dandelion/#respondSat, 03 May 2014 19:28:36 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=456Dandelion is abundantly infesting my lawn (maybe yours, too). This is no reason to dispair, since dandelion is and has been a prized medicinal plant throughout human history for its many healing properties of gastric complaints, spleen and liver issues, hepatitis, even anorexia.

Dandelions grow in many places, and are associated with many plants like sagebrish and blueberries. Bees gather dandelion pollen for honey, birds and other small animals can feed off them, as well as poltury and pigs. The only problem is that they an be a bit invasive, with their strong taproots growing up to 10 feet deep, but the taproot can be used in so many ways – like tea.

As a digression, there was an episode of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman where Dr. Quinn cured (and accurately diagnosed) her mother of hepatitis after the Boston doctors declared her incurable with daily infusions of dandelion root tea (yes I know it’s fiction, but the writers could’ve based the story on some truth).

Dr. Quinn – wasn’t she the greatest? She was inspirational in so many ways.

The procedure is quite easy, if not a bit of a workout. The main work is pulling the dandelion plant with a maximally intact root (since intact taproots will regrow, and as much as I love dandelion, no need for an infestation). Using a sturdy pitchfork or a garden screwdriver (I’m not sure if it’s actually called that, but it does the trick), the job can be done.

To get roots for dandelion tea or coffee, you have to cut off the roots, wash them in a bucket of water or the sink about 2-3 times (until they are maximally free of mud/debris), lay them out to dry. After they are decently dry, cut them on a cutting board and set aside to further dry – depending on weather and conditions it can take about 1-2 weeks. For tea, just store and add boiling water to infuse. It’s good to mix a tablespoon of dandelion root, with a teaspoon of chamomile, linden flower, and mint. Most aromatic herbal leaf or flower combinations work well.

For coffee, the excess drying is not necessary. Blend them in a food processor until they are coursely ground, and them either heat then in a cast iron pan or pot until they are evently cinnamon brown (about 7-10 minutes, depending on heat), or roast them on a sheet in the oven, 250 F (120 C) for about an hour and a half, mixing them every 30 minutes. The leaves can be dried alongside the roots, or frozen for later.

The flowers can be gathered for wine, or for a cough expectorant elixir, which I can vouch for. You need about 100-120 flower heads (it’s actually not that hard to gather on a lawn). A quart or liter glass jar will be the incubator. Take a few heads, pour a little brown sugar or honey on them and mash, doing half inch (1 cm) layers of flowers, adding the sugar or honey, and repeat until the jar takes in all the flowers. Put in a cool dark place for a few days until all the juices let out. Drain the elixir in a bottle and store.

After that I add some more honey (about 2 tablespoons), pour over with spirits, and let the flowers infuse their full potential into the spirits (ethylene alcohol – 90% is good ). After about 2-3 weeks, the flowers will appear drained. Store in cool dark place as well. Here’s to that – cheers and good health!

The downside of this all – the coffee itself may be full of pesticides, rancid, or even worse full of mycotoxins (fungal toxins). Roasting decreases some of the risk, but having a source of good quality preferably organic coffee is a good start. Drinking real coffee, and not all the frappy sugary artificial coffee based drinks (or instant coffee, which is chocked full of artificial ingredients and highest in acrylamide, a known cancer causing substance).

Having such a wonderful drink, how could it be improved… by adding butter. Yes, you heard me. When I first read about this I was very hesitant – butter is great on toast, on boiled broccoli, but in coffee? One needs to look no further for a butter lover – I am on the top ten list, from my previous posts ( University of Cambridge’s rehabilitation of butter as well as Dr. Aseem Malhorta’s defense of saturated fat, even the metanalysis done in California showing saturated fat does not contribute to heart disease) I am adamant in restoring its place in our kitchen and digestive tract. High in short chain fatty acids, vitamin K2, a high smoking point (clarified butter), a high Conjugated Linoleic Acid content and full ofomega 3 fatty acids(in grass fed cow butter), not to mention the great flavor, so many benefits are available both healthwise and culinary.

So today, after whipping up a fresh batch of butter, and only having goat milk, the decision to put butter in the morning coffee was set. To say the least, it was a great decision.

The procedure

The coffee (4 tablespoons) was freshly ground with a cardamon pod, a few cloves, and a pinch of grated nutmeg. After boiling the coffee (3 tablespoons for 3 cups of water), I added 2 tablespoons of fresh raw butter and used the hand blender – gave it a whirl for about 30 seconds. To my surprise, the butter formed a beautiful frothy cap on top. So that’s it- so easy, and a double punch of health benefits. No heart palpitations, since it seems the caffeine would be more slowly absorbed due to the higher fat content. There was also a greater feeling of fullness than after a regular cup of black or even milked coffee. This is going to be a morning staple. Cheers and good health!

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/27/butter-coffee/feed/0probiolbutter coffeebutter coffee 2Slaskie kluski aka Silesian Dumplingshttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/slaskie-kluski-aka-silesian-dumplings/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/slaskie-kluski-aka-silesian-dumplings/#respondWed, 23 Apr 2014 11:22:50 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=414Potatoes are a (not only) Polish staple food. High in vitamin B6, potassium, copper and vitamin C, they are a brain and heart nourishing food. One of my favorite ways to take in this delicious nightshade (which also grows quite easily in the ground or in a container) is to make Slaskie kluski, also known as kluski nylonowe, or nylon noodles. This is because their texture is unlike any other dumpling – they’re chewy and gummy. They are great served with a sweet side (like plum jam) or savory ( meat or mushroom). The recipe is quite simple, and can be brought up a notch for festive occassion like Easter – which I did by adding freshly chopped dill and chives for a great color effect. Served with a mushroom onion garlic sauce, they were a favorite at the Easter dinner.

Recipe:

2 pounds (or about a kilo) of freshly bolied potates

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/2 cup potato flour or starch ( give or take)

2 tablespoons cream

optional:

1/2 cup chopped chives and/or dill

Peel the boiled potatoes once they cool off a bit. Mash with cream in a very large bowl or on a pastry board. Add in the eggs and salt and mix. Keep mixing the mashed potates and flour until the mixture is a rubbery consistency. If you want the green effect, add the chives and/or dill at the end.

Boil a pot of water with a little bit of oil or butter (so the dumplings don’t stick). Pull 1.5- 2 inch (golfball sized pieces) of dough, roll and thumbprint the middle of each dumpling. After making 10-12 noodles, put them in the pot of water. After these rise put in the next batch. Each set of dumplings should boil for about 5 minutes after rising to the top. They can be served with bacon bits, with sweet jams (if made plain), or with our house favorite sos pieczarkowo-cebulowy (mushroom onion sauce).

Mushroom onion sauce:

1 pound mushrooms

3 medium yellow onions

2 cloves or garlic

1/2 teaspoon majoram

1/4 teaspoon oregano

pinch of rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

pinch of pepper

boiling water

1 teaspoon potato or buckwheat flour

Chop mushrooms, saute on a skillet until slightly browned, add finely chopped onions and garlic. Add spices, pour water over well sauted veggies, then add flour to thicken, add salt to adjust. Top the kluski while hot. Smacznego!

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/slaskie-kluski-aka-silesian-dumplings/feed/0probiolKluskiKluski cookedWhich fat is heart healthy fat?https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/which-fat-is-heart-healthy-fat/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/which-fat-is-heart-healthy-fat/#respondThu, 10 Apr 2014 19:37:38 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=391A new study from the University of Cambridge reviewed saturated fat restricted high polyunsaturated fat diets and came to the conclusion that lowering saturated fat does not correlate with a lower risk of heart disease. The researchers also didn’t find evidence for a high polyunsaturated ( omega 3, omega -6) fat consumption. Even different types of omega 3 fatty acids had different rates of heart disease risk factors. In the 72 studies analyzed, the group found that long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids were differently linked to heart disease. Palmitic (palm) and stearic (saturated animal fat) acid were linked to slightly higher increases, while margaric (dairy) fat reduces heart disease risk.

Additionally, the study shows that the cardiovascular risks posed by red meat originate in the substance L-carnitine, and not in the saturated fat content.

The food download

Fatty aged cheese (like Gouda, Brie, Jarslberg) are high not only in dairy saturated fatty acids, but also have a high Vitamin K2 content. Liver, eggs, butterfat, and natto as well as sauerkraut (the last two the exceptions here) are all good sources of Vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is necessary in the utilization of Vitamin D and ultimately calcium. Low levels of Vitamin K2 are a huge reason why so many people taking their calcium and Vitamin D have osteoporosis, vascular calcification, i.e. linked to heart disease. Vitamin K2 has other functions such as proper fetal bone development, decreased inflammmation in diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis, possibly treat leukemia and even prevent wrinkles.

Short chain fatty acids butyrate (found in milkfat) are a quick energy source for colon cells, acetate is a direct energy source for the cells of our body, and many of the short chain fatty acids have cancer preventing activity.

Well for me personally, I’m going to continue to eat generous amounts of butter, coconut oil, leaf lard (great for baking), and goose szmalec. Like this offshoot article states, I will eat like my granny and my ancestors did before that. My poor mother didn’t – she avoided eggs, ate low fat dairy, cooked with vegetable oil and had two heart attacks and coronary bypass surgery before age 55. Now with diet (plenty of butter, goat milk, broth and veggies) actually has reversal of her post-MI ECG changes – a visible sign of heart function improvement – the doctor couldn’t believe it!

There is a growing number of doctors and researchers that are digging up the data and questioning the low fat, “modern” diet, since it’s just not bringing in the results. Saying that saturated fat currently overtaking our food is a fallacy. Most restaurants, most processed food producers make food like substances or cook with polyunsaturated vegetable oils and trans fats, which are causing our modern day problems of cancer, obesity, heart disease, even infertility, and not the maligned lard and tallow that Julia Child reminisced about, remembering fries back in the day.

Many types of saturated fats are out there, and they have been used for millenia. In any case, I’d like to live as close to 90 as possible, like my maternal dziadek (grandpa) did, eating his bacon and eggs, sourdough bread with szmalec. That, and I love to eat my freshly made raw butter – yum!

]]>https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/which-fat-is-heart-healthy-fat/feed/0probiolbutterVanilla extracthttps://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/vanilla-extract/
https://probiol.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/vanilla-extract/#respondTue, 08 Apr 2014 14:11:19 +0000http://probiol.wordpress.com/?p=377I love vanilla – the flavor, aroma, the aura it gives cakes, cookies, and even coffee. Vanilla is not cheap, though. It’s the second most expensive spice after saffron.

Of course there is vanillin – the synthetic extract found in most processed foods with “natural flavors” or something of the kind. These flavors, along with artificial strawberry flavors, come from the castor sacs of beavers, which is something most people don’t want to ingest, or wouldn’t if they knew.

Real vanilla contains vanilloids, which act like capsaicin, reducing pain and inflammation in the body, just like many hot pepper cultivars. It also has antimicrobial activity. So using is not only tasty and pleasant, but healthful too.

The best way to get real vanilla is to buy the beans yourself. The beans come in pods from vine like plants. If you have a local grower or have the plant, that’s great. If you’re like me, and buy the pods dried, the best way to make them last is to make vanilla extract.

Basically you put vanilla pods in vodka. My baseline (completely not scientific) is adding a minimum of 4 pods per 500 ml, putting in a cool dark place for at least 3 months, and them having an endless supply of vanilla extract. Adding more pods will intensify the flavor, as will a longer wait period.

This makes for a great gift, the whole bottle (if you’re feeling rather generous) or dividing it up into smaller bottles.